8. Clean It Regularly

Over time, the insides of your PC gather up dust and debris from the air, which can cause overheating, noise, and other problems. To keep your PC running in tip-top shape, give it a thorough cleaning once in awhile. All it takes is a can of compressed air to blow out most of the dust. If you have any hard-to-reach spots, you can usually get to them with a cotton swap or some dryer sheets. If you want to avoid dust buildup in the future, invest in a few air filters for your intake fans, and read up on positive air pressure.

7. Upgrade Your Peripherals

You probably put a lot of thought into the guts of your computer, but what about the peripherals? If you're still using the same mouse and keyboard you used in 1995, it's time to check out what else is out there. We've done guides on choosing the best peripherals, but a good starting point would be our Hive Five series. See what people consider the best speakers, keyboards, and mice, and you'll be well on your way to a better computing experience. Photo by Barney Livingston.

6. Fill Those Unused Drive Bays

When you first build your computer, chances are you didn't put a lot into those drive bays at the front—maybe a CD drive, and an SD card slot if you need it. But you can do a lot more with those slots, like control your fans or add a hot swap bay for extra hard drives. Of course, if you end up going overboard and don't have room for the CD drive, that's okay—you can easily get by without one. Photo credit.

5. Overclock It for More Power

If you really want to get the most bang for your buck, you can push your hardware past its sanctioned limits for a bit of an extra boost. This is called overclocking, and it's a great way to eke more power out of your CPU for those processor-intensive tasks, or boost your GPU's gaming performance. Our guides should help you get started, but every family of CPU and GPU is different, so you may need to look up a guide specific to your processor and video card elsewhere on the net for the nitty-gritty. Photo credit.

3. Cool It With Water

Of course, if you want the ultimate balance between cool and quiet, water cooling is the way to go. You'll still want to reference the above—since water cooling still requires quality fans and airflow—but it'll take your cooling to a whole new level, and be quieter than you ever imagined. Check out our beginner's guide to water cooling, or if you want something a little lower-maintenance, check out an all-in-one unit like the Corsair Hydro series.

2. Repurpose Its Parts When You're Done

When it comes time to upgrade your computer (See #1 below), you're probably wondering what you can do with all those old parts. Obviously you could recycle them, but that's no fun, right? If you have enough parts for an entire PC you could build a low-powered home server, or repurpose individual parts for other PCs around your house. Of course, selling them might be ideal, but it isn't quite as easy as selling an old cellphone. You'll have to do a little work to fetch a good price. Photo credit.

1. Know When (and What) to Upgrade

No matter how much of a beast your custom PC is, nothing lasts forever. Eventaully, it'll be time to upgrade one or all of the parts inside. But how do you know when upgrading is really necessary, and what parts will give you the biggest boost? Be sure to take into account bottlenecks: If your computer isn't playing the latest games, buying a new graphics card can help, but it can also be a waste of money. If you're just looking for general computing speed, an SSD is by far the best upgrade you can make (and you can migrate your data without too much trouble). Lastly, be careful not to fall into the futureproofing trap: more money spent doesn't always mean a longer-lasting computer. Learn where you need upgrades the most, and spend your money there—you'll be much happier if you do.